One Touch
by Megaroni
Summary: It's Ginny's 4th year. A fluffy fic about Ginny (hopefully) getting together...but with whom? Not a usual pairing...subsequent chapters possible! Reviews appreciated.
1. Default Chapter

**One Touch**

Author's Note: I have returned! Hopefully this brain of mine can churn out a few more stories this summer. Until then, enjoy this one! I hadn't seen this pairing before and thought it was about time!

It was these quiet Thursdays that Ginny loved so much. Harry was at Quidditch practice, as was Ron. Hermione had stayed in the Common Room just long enough to finish her homework, then she headed down to the field to watch them. Ginny thought it was so cute the way Ron and Hermione had this game going; they were always holding hands and cuddling, but they hadn't established themselves as a couple yet. So Hermione tagged along to Quidditch practice whenever she could and never ever missed a game. Harry was also equally amused by their antics.

It was one of those great November evenings: cold outside, but lovely warm inside, especially when snuggled under a blanket…or next to someone. Ginny wasn't consciously looking for a boyfriend, but the site of so many couples made her yearn for someone to be with. The inevitable had happened this year: Fred, George, and Lee had finally gotten together with the three Gryffindor Chasers (thought the beginnings of the relationships had been present during their 6th year). Lavender and Seamus had paired up, and Parvati was at the start of a relationship with a great Ravenclaw 6th year. Ron and Hermione were playing their little game. Ginny's fascination with Harry had slowly waned as his interest in Cho Chang increased. Ginny now just had an idle crush on Harry, something that was always at the back of her mind, and didn't bear Cho any ill will. Ginny had made sure to keep the remains of her crush on Harry quiet; she didn't want to mess up either of his friendships with her and Cho.

Ginny had apparently entered that phase of life that accompanies adolescence, where she had (at least a slight) interest in every guy she knew well. Usually she just let these feelings sit in the back of her mind, but tonight she felt a bit preoccupied by them (whether this was fate or just boredom is unclear). Clearing the materials she had used for her Transfiguration essay, Ginny looked around the Common Room. Colin and Dennis Creevey were sitting at one table, reading a letter from home. A few 6th years had cleared an area and were practicing for an upcoming Charms practical exam. Dean Thomas was sitting by himself near the fire, reading a book. It was strange to see Dean by himself, and he wasn't a big reader. Ginny decided to go over and find out where his usual entourage had gone.

"Mind if I sit here?" Ginny asked, pointing to a seat on the couch.

"Not at all," Dean replied, moving his feet from that seat.

"If you don't mind my asking-What are you doing?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Procrastinating." Dean replied with a slight sigh.

"Oh?"

"Potions essay. '10 Ways to Slow Death Using Potions.' Not only is it boring, it's hard!" Dean said, placing his book, pages down, on his lap so as to save his place.

Ginny nodded sympathetically. "I had one the other day. 'The 5 Most Common Antidotes and How to Use Them.' You know, I was excited to take Potions when I first got here. My first Potions class was after History of Magic-" Dean groaned. "-and Potions seemed so hands-on in comparison. But now, in between the essays and more essays, I find myself kinda afraid to work in his class."

Dean nodded. "I know exactly how you feel. In class, unless Snap assigns us partners, I work with one of three people: Ron, Hermione, or Neville."

"Never Seamus?"

"Usually, no. Parvati and Lavender, of course, pair up. Seamus isn't too bad at potions, truth be told. He's probably he best partner for Neville, because he _isn't_ perfect. When Hermione works with Neville you know she's doing all the work. Then Harry and Ron usually pair up. Usually that'll leave me and Hermione to pair up. But working with her makes me feel so…incompetent? And days where I work with Neville, I do all the work. But it's good to be paired with Ron because we're at the same level. But that only happens when Harry and Ron are fighting, like last year. Mind, I'd give anything never to see that again!"

Ginny laughed. "Oooh, that was like hell! Ron was being a flat-out jerk. I mean, I understand how he felt but he knew deep down that Harry hadn't entered himself. But he was being a prat when he should have been happy for his best friend!"

Dean looked surprised. "Ms. Weasley, I didn't know you felt this way!"

"I held my feelings in, which is exactly what Ron should've done!" Ginny took a deep breath, looking to change the subject. "What is it you're reading?"

"Oh, this?" Dean asked, holding up the book. Ginny saw it was titled "_A Brit's Guide to Soccer_." He replied, "It's just a Muggle book about soccer."

"Can I look at it?" Ginny asked, curious. Her father had passed on to her his fascination of all things Muggle (only her interest was not bordering unhealthy obsession, as his was).

"Sure," he answered, handing her the book.

Ginny looked at the page it was open to. A large picture showed a team decked in blue trying to kick a black-and-white ball into a large net. The net was guarded by a bearded player in yellow. The picture was completely stationary. Ginny voiced her surprise at this.

"Um…why aren't they moving?"

"Gin, it's a Muggle book." Dean replied pointedly.

Ginny giggled nervously, blushing a bit. "Right," she replied, "I knew that. I've had two years of Muggle Studies. I should've known that. Deep down, I _did_ know that-" She was rambling now, but it seemed important to her that she convince Dean she wasn't as ditzy as people believed she was.

"Don't worry about it," he casually replied. "When I go home for break, the first stationary ad in the train station always surprises me. It takes a while to get back into it. And I'm only here nine months a year, for the past five years. You've spent 13 years in the magical world!"

"14."

"Eh?"

"I'm 14, Dean."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that."

There was an awkward silence that hung over them. Then-

"Gin, do you know anything about soccer?"

Ginny thought for a moment. "No," she said. "All I know is it's on the ground and you kick the ball."

"Well, then it's about time you learned! No young European should grow up without soccer!" He replied, getting excited. And without giving her a chance to reply, he grabbed the book, sat right next to Ginny, and spread the book on both of their laps.

"Alright, here you've got two professional teams. Basic move here. The midfielder's made his way down the field. Now he's going to pass to a teammate, who'll kick it past the sweeper and goalie, and into the net-hopefully…"

And they sat there for a quarter of an hour, Dean explaining all of the pictures to Ginny.

"This isn't exactly an advanced reader book, is it?" Ginny asked playfully.

"Hey! There's play-by-play strategy guides in the front! And a guide to all the teams in the UK and a complete list of all the international teams! We were just looking at the pictures to teach you the basics-"

"Dean, I'm only kidding," Ginny replied soothingly.

"Erm…I…um…I knew that," Dean said sheepishly.

"Sure, sure, sure." Ginny said smiling.

"Fine. Let's see what you've learned so far!" he said. Dean threw the book down on the couch and ran up to the boy's dormitory. Ginny sat, dumbstruck. Where had he gone? Ginny looked around the now empty Common Room. Colin and Dennis had long since wandered up to bed. The 6th years had gone up to be a while before, leaving an empty training area behind. The clock told Ginny it was not 11, and she wondered why the Quidditch players weren't back yet. But her attention was now diverted to the staircase, where Dean was bounding down, a large black-and-white ball tucked under his arm.

"Time for some practice!" he cried out.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"A little one-on-one! Don't worry," he added, seeing the disbelieving look on her face, "I'll go easy on you."

Dean walked over to the area the 6th years had cleared. He placed the ball roughly in the middle of their "field." He pointed at two tables, one at each end. "Those'll be the goals. You gotta kick the ball under the table."

Ginny was feeling a tad nervous. Dean could cream her! But it was just a pick-up game…still, she felt it necessary to stall.

"So you just happen to have a soccer ball in your trunk?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah. Like I said, no young European should be without soccer!" Dean looked over at her. "Alright, it's go time!"

And so Ginny and Dean played soccer right in the Common Room. Or, they tried. It was a small area, and Ginny wasn't very good. They had fun though. Dean was leading 12-5. Ginny was sure he had let her score the few goals she had. But she didn't plan to let him score! Dean was dribbling the ball down the "field," looking to shoot. Ginny ran toward him and kicked the ball away from him. Dean said "Hey!" as they both ran toward the loose ball. Ginny's legs carried her to the ball faster, but as she turned around, Dean came at her. Their legs got tangled, and Ginny fell to the ground. She wound up tripping Dean, and he fell on top of her, both of them laughing hysterically.

Ginny looked up at him, smiling, "Dean, I thought you said tackling is illegal in soccer."

He looked back down at her. "It is, Ms. Weasley. But I don't think you're allowed to lay on the ground and kick my legs out from under me either!"

They both looked at each other and started laughing. But they stopped when they heard someone say, "Alright, what the hell is going on here!?"

Ginny and Dean looked up to see Harry, sweaty and dirty from practicing. Ginny suddenly realized how strange (and a bit incriminating) this looked. Dean was laying on top of Ginny in the middle of the empty Common Room, a soccer ball rolling away from them.

"Hey Harry." Ginny said casually. From her position on the floor, she was looking upside-down at Harry. But even from here he could see how tired and haggard he was. "Tough practice?" she asked knowingly.

"You have no idea." Harry responded, rubbing his aching shoulder.

"Hey, where is everyone else? I believe three Weasleys, one Granger, one Jordan, one Spinnet, one Bell, and one Johnson all went down to the pitch with you." Dean said. Ginny wondered if he had realized the same thing she had: if Harry was back, the others were soon to follow. And perhaps this wasn't the best position to be in when her brothers, tired from practice, traipsed back in.

Harry sighed wearily. "I think Fred, George, and Lee finally convinced the girl's to sneak in to Hogsmeade tonight. Their logic was 'We're already halfway there!'" Harry shrugged, "I've heard worse logic. And Ron and Hermione are taking a moonlight stroll."

Ginny "aww'-ed at this.

Suddenly Harry got a familiar mischievous glint in his eye. "And what have you two been up two?" He asked, looking at the pair of them on the floor.

Ginny blushed scarlet and Dean began stuttering, trying to explain. But Ginny noticed they both stayed exactly where they were.

Harry held up his hand, cutting off Dean. "Don't bother. I'm so tired that at this point, I don't care. But," he added, cautiously looking toward the portrait hole, "It's a school night and I doubt any of the girls are willing to stay out late tonight. So you might want to…erm...stop before they come back and find you two like I did." Ginny and Dean both nodded, knowing that Fred, George, and Ron would never even give them the chance to explain. Harry continued, "I, meanwhile, am going to shower and then go to bed. And I won't tell anyone that I found a friend of mine laying on top of my best friend's little sister."

"Thanks Harry! And if you ever care to hear it, there is an explanation!" Dean shouted at Harry's retreating back. But Harry was already halfway up the stairs.

Dean looked down at Ginny. "Well then. I guess we'd better call the game then, shall we?"

Ginny nodded, swallowing hard. She hadn't realized it, but her heart had been beating hard. She was a bit surprised to realize how much she liked spending time with Dean.

They silently moved the furniture back into place and Dean picked up his soccer ball. As each walked to the staircase that led to their respective dorms, Dean shouted to Ginny, "You know, for your first time, you didn't do so bad!"

Ginny stopped, turned, and smiled. "Well, that's true." she said. "But I still want a rematch!"

As she ascended the stairs and got ready for bed, she couldn't help but think of all the ways to spend more time with Dean Thomas.

Author's Note: Alright, what did you think? I'd like to write a sequel and make other chapters, but I don't know if it's worth it. Please review, regardless of what you thought of it! If enough people liked it, I'll write more! This was fun to write, so please review with a positive opinion! If you want to get in touch with me, email at Megaroni91@yahoo.com or leave a review. And you get a cookie if you get both meanings in the title!


	2. The Rules

****

One Touch

Chapter Two: The Rules

Author's Note: The feedback was positive, the writer's block is gone, and it's so much fun to write. So One Touch will continue. I can promise a few more chapters, but since school started, I can't promise them in a timely manner. If you'd like, leave your email addy, and I'll let you know when I load a new chapter. Please review, and spread the word about One Touch!

Ginny woke up refreshed the next morning. Usually this went without saying; Ginny was a morning person and it was a rare occurrence when she didn't wake up refreshed. No, this was surprising because it was a gray and drizzly November morning and she hadn't gotten an exceptional amount of sleep. But, she reasoned as she showered, one can't help but be happy when they had such a great time the night before.

And Ginny really did have fun. She enjoyed Dean's company. She had gotten a bit worried when Harry had walked in on them, fearing what Harry would think or say, but since they hadn't actually been _doing_ anything, she had no reason to worry. Though she had to admit that she had been awful close to Dean…

Ginny shook her head as she dried her hair (a simple charm did the trick). _No Gin, _she told herself, _only fools rush in. Don't decide you're madly in love with this kid. That it, at least until you get to know him…_

And that was exactly what she planned to do.

--+--

Last year, around the time of the Yule Ball, the castle had been hit with a huge wave of hormones (or at least all female inhabitants had). Muggle and magical teen magazines were popping up everywhere, full of beauty tips and ways to get the guy. Ginny hadn't paid much attention to these (her date with Neville was strictly a friends-only date) but one day she flipped through _Saucy Sorceress _magazine. After passing 'Muggle or Wizard: what type of man is for you?' and 'Hats: A witch's fashion staple' she found 'The Rules to get a guy…And keep him.' Now she was glad she had read it. It might just come in handy…

--+--

****

Rule 1: Take an interest in what he has to say.

Ten minutes later Ginny was down in the Great Hall for breakfast. Some people must have eaten early because Ginny found lots of open seats at the Gryffindor table. There was one next to Harry, one next to Lavender, and one next to a quiet first year. Ginny chose the one next to Harry, for two reason: one, it was with her usual group, and two, it was across from Dean. _Perfect combo_, she thought with a smile.

"Morning all," she said cheerily. Harry and Dean both looked up and responded. Ron grunted without looking up from his breakfast. Hermione noticed and looked up to say hello, but she looked awfully tired. Down the table, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Fred, George, and Lee were eating, talking little, but still missing their usual exuberance. Ginny was curious as to why half her friends looked asleep still.

"Um, why's everyone so tired?" Ginny asked, pouring some pumpkin juice.

Dean gave a snort, but was shot 'a look' by Ron.

Harry, who had not yet been shot a death glare, smiled. "Well Ron, it _is _a funny story."

"Not when you're the one _in_ the story," Ron grumbled.

"Aw, c'mon! It's great when you're on the outside!" Seamus, who had apparently already heard the story, jumped in from next to Dean.

"Look, I don't care _who _tells me, as long as someone does!" Ginny said, waving her spoon dangerously and splattering porridge on a second year who was walking by.

"Oops." She said sheepishly.

Dean and Harry laughed at her. Ginny smiled, but underneath she was losing her patience. Would they _ever_ tell her what had happened last night? Harry seemed to sense her impatience.

"Okay, so you know how the twins and Lee convinced Angelina, Katie, and Alicia to go to Hogsmeade?" Ginny nodded. "So they go into Three Broomsticks and who do they see but _Flitwicks and McGonagall!_"

"No way!" Ginny said, putting down her porridge spoon.

"Yes!" Harry said, thoroughly enjoying himself. "So they did the only thing they could do: got the hell outta there!"

"So meanwhile," Dean said, jumping into the conversation, casting a look at Ron and Hermione and lowering his voice considerably, "our two lovebirds over there were out on a midnight stroll. As they were settling down to…er… 'talk,' they're startled by a loud noise. Which turns out to be our friends from Hogsmeade! A quite comical scene ensued in which everyone looked at everyone else suspiciously and Ron and Fred cast each other mischievous, knowing looks.

Harry resumed his position as storyteller. "So Lee tells Hermione and Ron that there are teachers in the area and Hermione wisely decides they should get back to their dorms ASAP, because Flitwick and McGonagall would be coming back sometime soon as well. So they try the front door, it's locked. Naturally, they're a bit worried. So they try another door; the side one near the greenhouse is locked…"

Dean once again grabbed reins of the story. "And then Hermione realizes (with horror, may I add) that earlier this year the enstated a 'lockdown' procedure. They told the perfects about it back in September. Every outside door is locked magically, and even Alohorma can open it-"

"-Not that they even bothered to try Alohorma." Harry added, snickering.

"Right. So now they're panicking. McGonagall and Flitwick are somewhere in the area, and they're still locked out of the building. Can it get much worse?"

"Yes," Harry answered. "And it does."

Dean enjoyed the look on Ginny's face and then resumed the story. "Then the rain started. Our heroes are not cold, wet, and out of bed after hours. Ron swears and wishes he had a broomstick so he could fly up to one of the balconies and climb through the door on the balcony. So that's what they did."

"What!?" Ginny shouted. She had long since abandoned her breakfast and was now looking intensely at Dean and Harry. "Wait, what!? How?"

And then the bell ran.

"NO!" Ginny cried. "I need to know the rest!" Everyone around her was moving, but she was still stubbornly in her seat.

"I'll tell you at lunch." Dean said. "I'd stay late and finish, but McGonagall would kill me…"

"Alright, see you at lunch then," Ginny said and trooped off toward Charms.

--+--

****

2. Make time for him any way you can.

Their follow-up lesson on Summoning Charms was less than thrilling for Ginny. All she could think about was the events of last night. How had they gotten back in? She had to give Dean and Harry credit, they sure knew how to tell a story. A glazed look came over Ginny's face as she mulled everything over in her head. She didn't realize this until Professor Flitwick pointed it out.

"Ms. Weasley, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm f-" Ginny began to answer. But an idea was forming. "Actually Professor, may I be excused to see the nurse? I think I may be beginning to get sick." 

"Well, you seem to understand the lesson fairly well. It wouldn't hurt to excuse you in the name of well-being. Come back to class after you've seen Madam Pomfrey."

"Yes Professor, thank you," Ginny said, scurrying out of the room.

But Ginny had no intention of going towards the hospital wing. Instead, she made her way tot he Transfiguration corridor. Once there, she stood up against a wall and tried to figure out what she was going to do. It was a very un-Ginny thing she was planning on doing, but if she was already kinda cutting class, she might as well enjoy it. She lined herself up with the glass window in the door of the Transfiguration classroom. She could see Dean. Ginny began to move wave furiously and hoped she wouldn't get caught. It worked: after scribbling something on his parchment, Dean looked up, clearly tuning out Professor McGonagall. He saw, with some surprise, that Ginny was waving to him outside. Once she had his eye, she waved at herself. Eventually, Dean got the message. He raised his hand and said something, though Ginny didn't know what. Dean then hurried out of the room.

"Gin!" he hissed. "What're you doing here!?"

"I believe you have a story to finish," she replied coolly. "What'd you do, excuse yourself to the bathroom?"

"Yeah," he said. "You?"

"Right now, I'm 'at the nurse.'" She said, making air quotes. Dean gaped at her. "Ginny, you're amazing.

****

3. Don't just listen; really think about what he has to say.

"So are you gonna tell me how they got back in or not?" Ginny asked, a not of impatient in her voice.

"Right. So they figured a balcony would be their best bet, one that was low. So…Professor Vector's room has a balcony and it's only on the second floor…"

"The didn't."

"They did. Climbed right on up…"

"How? There's nothing to climb on."

"First Fred climbed up like he was mountain climbing, finding foot holes in between the stones. Lee was halfway up before Angelina realized they could conjure up some ropes to make it easier. So they tied the ropes around the balcony and used that to help them climb up. Then, once everyone was up, they tried to unlock the door with Alohorma. Sealed, of course, so Fred and George expertly picked the lock-the Muggle way. After that it was just a 'simple' matter of sneaking back to Gryffindor tower without getting caught. By the time they got back, it had to be nearly two."

"Oh, so that's why they were so…dead today." Ginny said, nodding.

"Precisely," Dean said. "But Gin, if you don't mind, I should probably go back before McGonagall gets suspicious."

"Yeah," she answered. "And let's not tell anyone about this whole secret meeting, skipping parts of class thing, okay?"

"Maybe we could even have more," Dean said, wiggling his eyebrows. Ginny laughed, leaned up, and pushed his eyebrows back into the normal place. Dean laughed too. They said goodbye and then parted, Dean to Transfiguration and Ginny to Charms.

"Ah Ms. Weasley. How are you feeling?" Professor Flitwick asked as she entered the room. Thinking quickly, Ginny responded, "Fine. Madam Pomfrey said I just need to get more sleep."

"Very well," said Flitwick, motioning toward her desk. "Then please take your seat and we'll get back to the lesson."

Ginny dutifully sat down and began taking notes. Her mind was whizzing; she had just kinda sorta cut class to talk to Dean. She didn't feel guilty, but rather surprised. She'd never done that before, so why had she done it today? To hear the story? Or to be with Dean? Ginny didn't know, but she had inkling it was the latter.

As Professor Flitwick started them on actual practice of the Summoning Charm, Ginny thought about the actual events of the previous night. They'd seen Flitwick and McGonagall in the bar. They were just two colleagues going out for a drink, right? Ginny hoped so…It was just to weird to think of her teachers as actual people.

Ginny's thoughts were al over the place as the bell rang. She only just heard Flitwick remind them of a practical on Tuesday as she rushed out to lunch. She wanted to talk to everyone.

"Hermione!" Ginny said, finding her friend in the hallway and grabbing her arm. "What's this lockdown thing?"

"Gin! Keep your voice down! Only prefects are supposed to know about it." Hermione hissed, dragging Ginny to the Gryffindor table where they could talk away from teachers.

"Okay, every night at midnight Dumbledore casts a locking spell on all the entrances to the castle. Main floor entrances, but I don't know if he did anything about the secret passages. Teachers know how to unlock them in case of emergency, and they're locked from the inside too."

"And all this is because of You-Know-Who?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, safety precautions. And if kids are locked out, they'll know never to do it again. Like me. Last night sucked!"

"But you didn't get caught, so it's okay!" Ginny said, and then added slyly "and it was have been terribly romantic…"

"Yeah, it was," Hermione said dreamily.

"Hermione, is there something you're not telling me?" Ginny asked, half demanding, half teasing.

Hermione blushed but then replied "Gin, it's about time for another session of some girl talk…"

So that night, after dinner, they holed themselves up in Hermione's dorm with some Chocolate Frogs and some pumpkin juice Fred and George had snatched. And began to talk.

Author's Note: So there it is! I wasn't in love with this chapter, I much preferred the first one, but it still worked out okay, don't you think? Please email me or leave a comment, because feedback is good! I'm going to get Chapter 3 up ASAP, and some other stuff is in the works, but school is in session, so be the good little patient people I know you all are! ::hint hint::


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